They've stumbled to an 18-14 record so far this season and they appear to be a very average basketball team.

So what gives?

A couple of things are happening in my opinion:

1. The Pistons miss Corliss Williamson, Mehmet Okur and Mike James - three contributors on last year's championship team. Williamson was a dependable low-post scorer, while Okur could score inside and outside and was a solid rebounder. As for James, he played solid defense and could hit timely shots.

2. The Pistons struggle to score and get very few easy baskets.

Actually, the Pistons labored to score last year, but had all the pieces in the right places to make it work. This year, if Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace or Rip Hamilton are having an off night, their chances of winning are not very good.

3. The Larry Brown magic is wearing off.

Larry Brown is a master at taking over a team and making it play better immediately. But, typically, Brown's teams falter a bit after that.

According to Phil Jackson in his most recent book, Brown's players get tired of Brown's perfectionistic ways and begin to tune him out.

Maybe that's what's happening with the Pistons.

4. Antonio McDyess hasn't panned out.

The Pistons spent a lot of money to sign him, but McDyess just doesn't seem to be a good fit.

There's plenty of season still left to play. But at this point of the season, the Pistons look like they're about the fourth, fifth or even the sixth best team in the East.

* What professional athlete would I play to see perform? LeBron James.

He is a phenomenal talent. At this point, the 19-year-old James is better than Michael Jordan was at the same age.

James might become the best basketball player to ever play the game.

* All of the talk this time of the year in East Lansing is usually reserved for the men's basketball team. But the Michigan State women's team is doing some serious damage of its own.

The Lady Spartans have climbed as high as sixth in the nation. Talk about flying under the radar.

* If the Philadelphia Eagles are the best team that the NFC has to offer, then I'd say that the AFC has four teams better than the Eagles: the Patriots, the Steelers, the Colts and the Chargers.

* I read an Internet report in which Wayne Gretzky said the NHL could possibly not play for two seasons.

If that happens, then I say at least four franchises will no longer be in the league when it resumes operation.

* Baseball teams interested in the Houston Astros' Carlos Beltran, a free agent, are going to have to pay a steep price. The last figure I saw was that he might earn as much as $100 million over seven years.

Which prompts me to wonder: why isn't there free agency in journalism?